Singer Demi Lovato is facing backlash over a tweet she wrote in 2018, in which she admitted to making a "lady of the night" touch one of her bodyguards without his consent.
The Disney Channel alum detailed the moment during a Q&A on X (formerly Twitter) after being asked about the "funniest prank she had ever pulled."
Demi wrote, "I hired a lady of the night in Vegas and sent her to Max's hotel room to surprise him.
Highlights
- A resurfaced tweet posted by Demi Lovato in 2018 has sparked renewed criticism of the ex Disney Channel star.
- Demi laughed off a “prank” involving hiring an adult worker to “surprise” her bodyguard in his hotel room.
- She said the woman entered the room “without permission” and grabbed her bodyguard’s crotch.
"She walked into his room without permission and grabbed him in his area, and he freaked the f*** out."
Image credits: Arturo Holmes / Getty Images
The since-deleted post resurfaced on Reddit this week, with users accusing the 32-year-old of trivializing s*xual assault.
"He should've sued idc. What a weirdo she is," one person wrote.
"2018?! Absolutely not. She knows that was unacceptable," another stated.
"It's also shocking and concerning that she thought your average person would laugh at this," a separate person shared. "Makes you wonder what these child actors went through that made them think that's something to be laughed off."
Image credits: ddlovato / Instagram
A fourth netizen added: "Oof. That poor man. What an ugly thing to do to someone."
Demi was heavily criticized for the incident at the time, prompting her to address the controversy in a follow-up post.
"I swear I could tweet something about craving jelly beans and it would offend someone," she wrote.
Demi said she hired an adult worker to enter her bodyguard's hotel room without his consent and "surprise" him
Image credits: Alessio Botticelli / Getty Images
She then asked her critics to listen to Warrior, a 2013 song from her Demi album, in which she alluded to being s*xually ab*sed during her childhood.
"For all of those coming at me rn, listen to the lyrics of Warrior and maybe you'll have more compassion for someone who made a simple mistake," she tweeted. "Of all people, I know about s*xual ab*se. You don't have to educate me."
Five minutes later, she left her personal experience aside and posted an apology: "So sorry if anyone was offended."
Image credits: ddlovato / X
Max himself addressed the incident in 2018, defending his employer and describing the moment as a "fun prank."
"Really! You guys all need to grow up!" he wrote. "It was a joke and a fun prank from someone who's incredible to work for and with. And does everything she can for her fans, family, and friends."
Australian DJ Kyle Sandilands, Max's former employer, said on a radio show at the time," Knowing Max, he wouldn't give a s**t!"
Kyle added that he had "done worse things" to the bodyguard and insisted that Max was "fine" after the incident.
The singer later defended herself, saying she was a survivor of s*xual assault
Image credits: ddlovato / X
Image credits: ddlovato / Instagram
Demi previously revealed that Warrior was inspired by an experience that took place during her childhood. The track contains lyrics like: "There's a part of me I can't get back / A little girl grew up too fast / All it took was once / I'll never be the same."
"I've got shame, I've got scars that I will never show/I'm a survivor, in more ways than you'll know," sings the Grammy-nominated star.
She then shared a more direct apology after people accused her of trivializing s*xual assault
Image credits: ddlovato / X
Image credits: Robert Kamau / Getty Images
Speaking about the track with Billboard, Demi shared that it was the hardest song to write on the album, yet the most necessary for her.
"It was the hardest song to write because it was the most vulnerable for me, and you can't sum up that experience in three or four minutes. But it was the easiest song at the same time because it's something that I wanted to say.
"It's still one of those songs that I don't like to listen to in front of other people, because I feel really vulnerable and almost n*ked when other people hear it."
Max, Demi's bodyguard, insisted that he wasn't offended by the incident
Image credits: 2Maxx22 / X
Demi did not reveal the identity of the offender, only saying she "had to see this person all the time" afterward.
She said the assaulter "never got in trouble for it. They never got taken out of the movie they were in."
Demi, who recently married Jordan Lutes, revealed that she was assaulted during her time on the Disney Channel
Image credits: ddlovato / Instagram
She further revealed that she was "taken advantage of" by her dr*g dealer the night of her nearly lethal overd*se in July 2018.
Demi first appeared as a child actor in the children's TV show Barney & Friends before having her big break in the 2008 Disney Channel movie Camp Rock, followed by a 2010 sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.
Image credits: ddlovato / Instagram
The singer and actress has been open about her past struggles with substance dependence, bipolar disorder, and an eating disorder.
She released her most recent album, Holy Fvck, in 2022. This year, she starred in the drama Tow, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 7.
In May, Demi married her boyfriend of three years, Canadian singer Jordan Lutes.
People condemned Demi for the "weird and gross" incident
